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Food Chem Toxicol

Title:		The effects of chronic mercuric chloride ingestion in female Sprague-Dawley rats on fertility and reproduction
Author(s):		Heath JC; Abdelmageed Y; Braden TD; Nichols AC; Steffy DA;
Address:		"Department of Biomedical Sciences, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL 36088, United States. john.heath@tuskegee.edu"
Journal Title:		Food Chem Toxicol
Year:		2009
Volume:		20090414
Issue:		7
Page Number:		1600 - 1605
DOI:		10.1016/j.fct.2009.04.007
ISSN/ISBN:		1873-6351 (Electronic) 0278-6915 (Print) 0278-6915 (Linking)
Abstract:		"Thirty-days-old female rats were chronically exposed, for 60 days, to 1or 2mg/kg/day of mercuric chloride or an equivalent volume of water, via gavage. At 90 days of age they were mated with unexposed males. At approximately day 13 of gestation necropsies were performed on the females. Data were collected on the number of implantations and non-viable implantations in the uterus. No physical signs of Hg intoxication were seen except in weight gain. There were significantly fewer implantations in the high HgCl2 group, with significantly more non-viable implantations in the low and high HgCl2 groups, compared to controls. Lower levels of progesterone and higher levels of pituitary luteinizing hormone (LH) were found in the high HgCl2 group compared to controls, whereas pituitary follicle stimulating hormone levels (FSH), while not significant, showed a dose-response relationship to HgCl2 levels. No difference was found in the number of corpora lutea. The experiment indicated low level chronic ingestion of mercuric chloride, in female rats, while not effecting ovulation, produced disruption of implantation and fetal viability. Lower progesterone levels, higher LH, and possibly FSH levels, indicate that mercuric chloride may have a disruptive effect in the corpora lutea which manifests itself after ovulation"
Keywords:		"Animals Body Weight/drug effects Female Fertility/*drug effects Follicle Stimulating Hormone/blood Luteinizing Hormone/blood Male Mercuric Chloride/*toxicity Pregnancy Progesterone/blood Rats Rats, Sprague-Dawley Reproduction/*drug effects;"
Notes:		"MedlineHeath, J C Abdelmageed, Y Braden, T D Nichols, A C Steffy, D A eng G12 RR003059/RR/NCRR NIH HHS/ G12 RR003059-190012/RR/NCRR NIH HHS/ RCMI 5 G12 RR003059/RR/NCRR NIH HHS/ Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural England 2009/04/18 Food Chem Toxicol. 2009 Jul; 47(7):1600-5. doi: 10.1016/j.fct.2009.04.007. Epub 2009 Apr 14"